One Long September

Just 29 Blue Jay games to go and one big question looms.

Will this team win 70 games? It's going to be close, quite probably, a sensational swoon given that in May many were talking wild card and praising Cito Gaston as a magician.

Gaston and Paul Beeston are the Teflon Tandem, blamed for nothing, while J.P. Ricciardi is blamed for absolutely everything.

But 70 wins? Really?

The truly noteworthy part about being at the ballpark Thursday night, meanwhile, was the absolute indifference there is to the horrible season being experienced by Vernon Wells, one of baseball's highest paid players.

The Yanks brought all their big contracts to town and put them all on display in a powerful showing. The Jays have two biggie deals - Wells and Roy Halladay - and on a night Halladay wasn't pitching Wells once again really didn't figure much in the result. He went 0-4 with a walk and a run scored, didn't make a play of significance in the outfield and struck out to end the game.

Ho-hum. Just another nothing night.

But people don't seem to really react to this. They just shrug. No significant booing, as you might expect in a town where the likes of Bryan McCabe and Vince Carter were vilified in recent years.

It's as though Jays fans feel helpless in the face of Wells' gigantic $126 million deal signed in December of '06 that has made him the game's most untradeable player.

He got $25.5 million to sign, and while playing for a mere pittance of a salary this year - $1.5 million - the dollars really take off next year. It''s $12.5 million for 2010, then $23 million followed by THREE more seasons of $21 million.

In June, baseball people were wondering if Wells was off to a slow start and would turn his season around. As folks in the game love to say, it's a long season.

Well he hasn't. And fans, at least Thursday night, seem to have just accepted it, seemingly knowing that even if they decide to boo their lungs out at the worst contract in team history, they better be prepared to do it for five more years since Wells isn't ever going anywhere.

Maybe that's why fans boo individual players sometimes, hoping that management will ultimately decide to send that player packing.

But the Jays can't do that will Wells and the fans know it. This isn't B.J. Ryan, where simply dumping the player will mean a short-term hit, albeit a big one.

Backloading this contract, it appears, will be as destructive as the overall dollar amount.

And the fans seem resigned and simply shrug.

Comments

[Conn Smythe]

No amount of booing is going to rid the Blue Jays of Wells contract...You think any team in the league wants to pay that much money for a .257 hitter with what, 53 RBI's?

[Dan Daoust]

Well put. And now for Griffin's alternate reality:

"There is no way that Wells, given the viciousness of fans at the Rogers Centre, would want to make any appearances for the team this winter."

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/article/690296

[2nd Guess]

Almost impossible to believe Wells is one year removed from batting .300 with 20 HR and 78 RBI -- missing 2 months with injury, the production numbers projected to about 30 HR and 120 RBI over a full season. Now he looks like a puzzled Triple-A call-up, swinging wildly at anything close (when was the last time he took anything the other way?). I am no fan of the Moneyball philosophy of working the count as high as possible, but there has to be a happy medium.

I have often questioned Wells' commitment to fitness, but he seems trimmer this season. The fact that he may well be washed up at age 30 is a truly horrifying prospect, considering there are 5 years and $98.5 mil left on his deal. You can't trade him; at that money, you can't even bench him. And now Gaston is implying that he may be uncoachable as a hitter.

Even if he rebounds somewhat, his contract is an anchor for an organization that has taken a renewed interest in its bottom line. Any wonder a columnist (wish I remembered which one -- would appreciate some help here) recently wrote that we should hereafter refer to bad contracts of epic proportions as "Ricciardis."

[Colin W]

Saying Cito is one half of the "Teflon Tandem" is to expect this man to do miracles with this team. The manager can only play the players he has been given, and outside of Lind, Hill, and a few others, and throw in what is effectively triple-A pitching, everyone can see the manager has been handcuffed. Sure it is easy to throw barbs and criticism his way, but I hardly imagine a manager in the big leagues who could make this team anymore effective. Even God would find that a daunting task!

And what's with the so-called stocked farm system when it is producing pitchers who can't throw strikes? I am willing to wager there are very few teams, if any, whose pitchers are worse at closing out 0-2 batters. No wonder the bull-pen is exhausted; lots of tired arms because the starters - except for Doc - can hardly throw five innings! Watching these guys "pitch" is painful. Watching Wells flail away at pitches like he only wants to face the minimum amount of pitches possible per at-bat is horrific.

Timely hitting, good pitching, and good defense wins ballgames. Last time I checked, Cito wasn't on the field for any of those opportunities so it is the players who need to be held accountable. I say we blow up the whole thing (keep Lind, Hill, Snider, and Ruiz) and start over. And Cito should sue for lack of support, not to mention stress caused by upper management indifference and incompetence.

[k_bosley]

While he may not have been booed last night, he was booed every time he got out in big situations at home during the mid season. It didn't help and fans have given up on him. Booed so much he even felt the need to comment on it during the post game.

[Jody Mattie]

Damien, your pessimistic, factually driven columns are solid. I wish you would have more to say regarding this baseball franchise. I sincerely feel that there is a distinct level of being defeated before they hit the field and accepting the status quo with this organization. I do not see Cito, despite his past accolades as a man to captain this ship in 2010. I question if a bad contract, for bad contract swap of Wells may not be the answer, despite the fact his could be an off year (although terribly off). (Soriano-Wells)

Despite the fact Riccardi did not deal Halladay I feel he was right, Cleveland did get poor return for Lee. Secondly. Lee's tremendous performance in the NL drives Halladay's value through the roof in the winter.

We all hope for better things from this club, we all would be thrilled to see the Rios money re-invested, a good return for Halladay, and God knows... maybe a comeback year for Wells.

In closing an attitude change in the dugout like a Bobby Valentine would not hurt either.

[Vince]

Bobby Valentine is a great suggestion, as is Willie Randolph, as is firing JP. In my entire life, I have never seen an executive remain in a position of power in this town and be as unpopular as Riccardi is.

[Paul]

Our kid's schools have to fundraise just to get by. A baseball player makes $126 million for failing 7 out of ten times!

Yeah, I know: What does one have to do with the other?

Damien, are taxpayers on the hook for these exorbiant sums? When I lived in T.O. I never paid for a Blue Jay ticket, and knew no one else who did. Tickets were readily available.

I don't understand these vast sums. Can you enlighten me? Show me where the money is coming from!

Paulie

[A-Mar]

Vernon fails 7.5/10 times or more. He would be much better value if he only failed 7/10. Don't compare salaries of different 'industries'... it'll just drive you insane. Needless to say, there is money out there for sports teams to offer ridiculous contracts. Advertising dollars account for a large portion of this.
There's even some ad money out there for schools to raise money, but think of the outcry if your kids went to 'Rogers Wireless High School' or if there were advertising in the school library telling the kids to choose Pepsi.

[jimmy]

i hate to hear guys like paulie complain about how much money players get. The franchise is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and its either pay the players or let the corperate fat cats make more money. At least most players are just regular dudes whod live check to check if they didnt posses talent. So better let the money go to them if its there to be made. Even tax money to professional sports teams benifits everyone in the long run. Bad optics mabey, but if you actually do the math, it works for everyone. its called investment.

also, wells sucks. the money is spent, so bench him, send him to a shrink and supervise his off season activities. then if he still sucks, bench him somemore. Also, the jays need some speed and power off the bench- but if you make a few adjustments this team could be close.

[JTL]

Did you just compare Brian McCabe to Vince Carter? I know, I know, the point was that it seems like hockey and basketball fans care more about their teams than the Jays...but what about all your columns blaming Leaf fans for the team's mediocrity? How can it go both ways? Either the fans are passionate in expressing their displeasure when a player of McCabe's stature screws up, showing that they are not just trained chimps who will do whatever MLSE asks, or they wouldn't know better and would actually cheer him when he screws up because Leaf fans are blindly in love.

[Wooltonian]

As it seems we will never get rid of the overpaid Wells it would seem the team would be better off just sitting him. Maybe the shame of it would make him resign, thus nullifying the contract remaining. After all, with what he has been paid, he never needs to work another day in his life, and would still live in luxury.
You would think he would be ashamed to accept his cheques, and nullify the contract anyway.
A normal working person would be fired if they did not do their job properly, but not sports players.